Article projection apparatus for shelves



May 11, 1937.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 1?, 1935 May 11, 1937. w. v. WAXGISER2,079,754

ARTICLE PROJECTION APPARATUS FOR SHELVES Filed July 17, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 11, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F'I CEARTICLE PROJECTION APPARATUS FOR: SHELVES.

4 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved meansapplicable to shelves and the like, for moving forwardly rows of.packages such as tins or canisters.

A further object of the invention is to provide means characterized forits adaptability for successive discharge of the articles. forwardly ofthe shelf, as, from a high point to alower point.

A further object is to provide devices which are adjustable to adapt asingle device for cans of various diameters.

A further object of the invention is to simplify the form of the deviceso as to make it inexpensive, readily applicable, and sure in operation.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a shelf section having applied theretoan embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of. the device.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, theshelf and back wall beingshown in section, and. dotted lines showing the position of the rackframe in a rear movement thereof, dotted linesalso showing arow of cans,one can in the course. ofa vertical discharge movement.

Fig. 3A is a view partly in section and. partly in dotted lines, showinguse of the deviceon an overhead shelf in connection with a pole andbasket.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device, partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the rack operated projector.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of projector.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a somewhatmodified form of rack frame andprojector.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section on theline 8-8, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a transverse section on the line: 99. Fig. 7.

In Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, I have shown a formof the invention in whichthe primary member is a rack frame comprising a bar I angularly bent atits ends to form extensions lzc. Each of these extensions is providedwith a threaded aperture to receive a screw 2 which passes through aslot of a corner bracket 3, having sleeves which extend at right angles,one sleeve in each case receiving a member Inc. The second sleeve, ineach case, receives one end of a rack bar 4. The rack bar is embraced bythe Vertical sections of a projector which is best shown in Fig; 5..Verticalwalls of the projector 'areindicatedat 5 and 5:0, a stop pin 6being carried' thereby sothat the rack frame may be moved upward; but:beyond the pin.

In registry. with the passageway between walls 5, 5x; and rearwardlythereof, is a pawl i. Pawl l is adjacentva. contact wall 8 for thearticles to be moved forwardly of. the rack frame. The rearmost articlemay, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. l", restupon a horizontal wall8m. Screw 2 may also serve to'connect upon the front mem ber la: a card.holding device 9 having a handle 9.1:. which. will; serve formanipulation of the rack frame.

The purpose of the horizontal section 8.7: of the projector isto. addweight to the latter through the articleresting. thereon, and, ifdesired, contact plate 8 may have applied thereto a weight, as indicatedat [0; Fig. 6.

In the. operation of the device, by loosening screws. 2, the distancebetween bar I and rack 4 may be adjusted in accordance with the widthof. the articles to be placed between said members, and the screws, willthen be tightened to' clamp. the rack frame parts in said adjustedposition. The projector will then be moved to the rearand. the tins orother articles placed in a row intermediate members I and 4 as indicatedin -dotted lines, Fig. 4. When the rack frame ismovedioutwardly adistance equivalent to the cross sectional area. of one of the articles,the projector. by its contact with the rearmost article will move the.foremost article forwardly of the shelf II and said article will tend todrop downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3.

When the said foremost article has been removed, the rack frame may beslightly raised, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3, to disengage therack from. pawl i and the rack frame moved backwardly to initialposition. In fact, it is not even. necessary to raise the rack frame insuch rearward movement because the weight of the projector will hold itin position. The operation is repeated until all of the articles in therowhave been discharged, and prior to that time, there will aways be anarticle on display at the front of the shelf. There will be no rotationof tins by the rack frame since the efiect of members l and 4 upon thesides of the tin is that of one neutralizing the rotational effect ofthe other. Therefore, when the tins are placed upon the shelf with thelabels in proper position, they will remain in that position. To providefor a downward discharge of the articles in succession,

an ordinary pole hook and basket such as indicated at 12, Fig. 3A, maybe employed for upper shelves.

In Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, I have shown a 5 slightly modifiedconstruction having the same general principle of operation however asthat of the preceding figures.

By means of ordinary angular clip strips l3 applied to the front andrear edges of the shelf, I hold in position upon the shelf, for readyadjustment, a plurality of laterally flanged guide rails l4. Each guiderail is adapted to slidingly support two abutting flanged rack framemembers such as l5, with the exception that the guide rails at the endsof the shelf may be adapted to support a single bar l5. Instead ofresting directly upon the shelf, the articles rest upon the flanges Manof the guide rails and guided by the flanges are, as to each rack frame,two opposed frame members l5. One rack frame member l5 has at one end anangularly extending bar I 6 which is slotted to receive a screw llthreaded in an angular extension l8 of the second rack frame member.Each rack frame member 25 has a horizontal raised section and thehorizontal raised section of one or both i bars may be formed withregularly spaced apertures as at l9, to receive the pawl a: of a pivotedpawl device 20, carried by the projector 2!.

The projector is formed in two sections, one section being slotted andthe other section carrying a clamping screw 22. Projector 2| at each endcarries an angularly extending flanged clip Zinc, the clips having theirsupport upon the flanges I 4x of the fixed guide rails l4 and the pawl20.1 is so formed and inclined relatively to the apertures !9 that therack frame may be freely moved inwardly without disturbing the position,40 of the projector, whereas outward movement of the rack frame carriesthe projector with it. The operation, therefore, is the same as thestructure in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive.

The horizontal front portion of each rack frame 45 member l5 may be cutaway so that when a forwardly positioned article is moved beyond thefront of the shelf, clearance will be provided for its descent bygravity in generally the manner indicated in Fig. 3A as to thepreviously described 50 construction. A wire finger may serve to retardtilting of the article, by serving as an abutment member for the upperportion of the article, causing its descent in substantially verticalline.

It will be understood that various modifica- 55 tions may be made in theform and arrangement of the embodiments illustrated in the drawingswithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, pawlla: may be carried by the projector illustrated in Fig. 5 in addition tothe pawl 60 l, and various changes may be made in the construction ofthe projector, also in the means for connecting the members 'I and A orIE, as the case may be, etc.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters 65 Patent is as follows:-

1. Article projection apparatus for a shelf, comprising parallel spacedframe members having rack elements, forward and rearward meansconnecting the frame members whereby a row of articles may be receivedbetween the frame members for forward projection, a projector receivingsupport independent of the frame members and having a pawl engaging saidrack elements and a contact face for engaging the rearmost of said rowof articles, the pawl and rack being so formed that forward movement ofthe frame members will transmit movement to the projector and willproject the row of articles until the foremost article is carried beyondthe shelf, and rearward movement of the frame members will not affectthe position of the projector.

2. Article projection apparatus for a shelf, comprising parallel spacedframe members having rack elements, forward and rearward meansadjustably connecting the frame members whereby the frame members areadapted to receive between them rows of articles of various widths forforward projection, a projector receiving support independent of theframe members and having a pawl engaging said rack elements and acontact face for engaging the rearmost of said row of articles, the pawland rack being so formed that forward movement of the frame members willtransmit movement to the projector and will project the row of articlesuntil the foremost article is carried beyond the shelf, and rearwardmovement of the frame members will not aiTect the position of theprojector.

3. Article projection apparatus for a shelf, comprising spaced framemembers, forward and rearward members connecting said frame members,whereby a row of articles may be received between the frame members forforward projection, one of the frame members having a rack surface, aprojector carrying a pawl for engagement with said rack surface andhaving opposed guide walls abutting said frame member, and also having acontact face for engaging the rearmost of the row of articles, saidframe member carrying the rack surface being vertically movable betweenthe said guide walls of the projector and said pawl being disposed atthe lower end of the guide walls for engagement with and release fromsaid rack surface whereby forward movement of the frame members willproject the row of articles and rearward movement of the frame memberswill be independent of the projector.

4. Article projection apparatus for a shelf, comprising two spaced guiderails adapted to rest upon the top surface of the shelf, means forholding and permitting relative adjustment between the guide rails,spaced bars slidably held by the guide rails and adapted to receivebetween them a row of articles having their support upon uprightprojections on the guide rails, a rack carried by and extendinglongitudinally of a bar of said spaced bars, a projector having itssupport upon the projections on said guide rails and having a pawlengaging the rack, and means adjustably connecting the bars.

WILLIAM V. WAXGISER.

